Kirjahaku

"The Wordsmith" is a collection of gentle poems filled with carefully observed moments of family life, nature and love. The poems were written over the years by Joseph B. Martin, who was a National School Headmaster and a very active member of his local community in the West of Ireland. Benny, as he is known to friends and family, takes inspiration from, and sees meaning in the minutiae of everyday encounters and the passing emotion of human exchange. The collection is a rich reserve of joy and frailty which Benny captures with his customary humour and pathos. It is a delightful read which will leave you with a smile on your face and an appreciation for his skillful turn of phrase.

Joseph B. Martin traces his climb from a Mennonite farm in the village of Duchess, Alberta to Dean of Harvard Medical School in his memoir, Alfalfa to Ivy. Readers are rewarded with an intimate perspective on academic politics and health care in Canada and the U.S. that Martin is perfectly poised to critique. And it is the human story of Martin?s journey from humble origins to worldly esteem that makes Alfalfa to Ivy a compelling narrative for non-specialists as well as academics and professionals.